Use your 2024 tax return for the 2025–26 FAFSA

The FAFSA for the 2025–26 school year asks about income from your 2024 tax year. That means the return you filed in early 2025 (or will file by the FAFSA deadline). Do not use your 2023 return, and do not wait for your 2025 return — it will not exist yet when you submit.

If you have not filed your 2024 return by the time you fill out the FAFSA, you can submit the form with estimates and update it later. The colleges will use whatever numbers you provide at submission, but you must correct them once your actual return is complete. Many students file their taxes specifically to have the real numbers ready for FAFSA.

The IRS and the Department of Education share tax data, so if your FAFSA numbers do not match your filed return, the school's financial aid office will notice and ask you to explain or correct it. Filing your return first removes that friction.

Key Takeaways

  • The 2025–26 FAFSA uses income from your 2024 tax year, which you file in early 2025.
  • If you have not filed your 2024 return yet, you can estimate on the FAFSA and update it once you file.
  • The IRS and Department of Education compare your FAFSA numbers to your actual tax return, so mismatches will trigger a request to correct them.
  • If you did not file a return because your income was below the filing threshold, you still report that income on the FAFSA.
  • Married couples file one joint return; each parent reports their share of income on the FAFSA based on that one return.

What if you have not filed your 2024 return yet

You do not have to wait. Submit the FAFSA with your best estimate of 2024 income, and the school will process your financial aid based on those numbers. Once you file your actual return, log back into your FAFSA and update the income figures to match what you reported to the IRS.

The school's financial aid office will see the correction and recalculate your aid if needed. This process is routine — colleges expect some students to estimate. The key is to update it as soon as your return is filed, not months later. If you wait until after the school's priority deadline for financial aid, your aid package may not change even if your numbers do.

What if you did not file a tax return

You still report your 2024 income on the FAFSA. If your income was below the IRS filing requirement (roughly $14,600 for a dependent in 2024, higher for self-employed people), you were not required to file. But the FAFSA still needs to know what you earned.

Gather your W-2s, 1099s, or other income records and enter the total on the FAFSA. You do not need a filed return to do this. If the IRS later asks why you did not file, you can explain that your income was below the threshold; that is a normal situation and not a problem for financial aid purposes.

Self-employed income and Schedule C

If you are self-employed, your 2024 tax return includes a Schedule C (Profit or Loss from Business). The FAFSA asks for your net business income — the bottom line of Schedule C after expenses, not your gross revenue. Use the number from line 31 of Schedule C (net profit or loss).

If you have not filed yet and are estimating, add up your expected revenue minus your expected business expenses. Self-employed people often have a tighter deadline to file because they need to pay quarterly estimated taxes, so your return may be ready before a W-2 employee's.

Parent income if parents are divorced or separated

The FAFSA asks for the income of the parent you lived with more during the past 12 months. If your parents are divorced or separated, use that parent's 2024 tax return only — not both returns combined.

If you lived with each parent equally, use the return of the parent who claimed you as a dependent on their 2024 taxes. If neither claimed you, use the parent who provided more financial support. The school may ask for documentation if the situation is unclear, so keep records of where you lived and who paid for what.

Married couples and joint returns

If you and a spouse both have income, you file one joint 2024 tax return. On the FAFSA, report the combined income from that return — do not split it or report each person's portion separately. The form asks for household income, and a joint return is one household's income.

If one spouse has no income, the joint return still shows only the working spouse's earnings. Report that total. The FAFSA does not ask you to break down who earned what within a marriage; it asks for the household total.

Correcting your FAFSA after you file

After you file your 2024 return, log into your FAFSA account and update your income to match your actual filed return. You can make this change anytime before the school's financial aid deadline, which is usually in the spring but varies by school.

When you update, the FAFSA system may automatically pull your tax data from the IRS if you use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (a feature within the FAFSA form). This is the fastest way to ensure accuracy — the IRS data goes straight into your FAFSA without you typing it. If you use this tool, you do not have to manually enter numbers at all.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use my 2023 tax return instead of 2024?

No. The 2025–26 FAFSA specifically asks for 2024 income. Using an older return will cause a mismatch when the school compares it to your filed return, and you will have to correct it. Use 2024.

What if my income was very different in 2024 than in 2025?

The FAFSA uses 2024 income because that is what you actually earned and reported to the IRS. If your 2025 income is significantly lower due to job loss or other hardship, contact the school's financial aid office after you enroll. Many schools have a process to adjust aid based on changed circumstances, but you have to ask.

Do I need to upload my tax return to the FAFSA?

No. The FAFSA does not ask you to upload documents. You enter the numbers, and the school may ask to see your actual return later if there is a discrepancy. Keep your filed return and any supporting documents (W-2s, 1099s, receipts) in case the school requests them.

What if I filed my 2024 return but made a mistake?

File an amended return (Form 1040-X) with the IRS. Once the IRS processes it, update your FAFSA with the corrected numbers. The school will see both your original and amended return in the IRS data, so be clear about which numbers are correct.

Can I use estimated taxes or quarterly payments instead of a filed return?

No. Estimated tax payments are not the same as filing a return. You must file your actual 2024 return to report your income to the IRS. Once you file, use those numbers on the FAFSA.